Men's squash without five of nine projected starters

The men's squash team will be forced to compete with a depleted lineup this season, as five of the team's nine projected starters will not play after a series of unrelated personal decisions.

Princeton expected to return every starter from a squad that finished fourth in the country last season, setting up national title hopes for this year. Instead, the Tigers will be forced to plug a handful of inexperienced players into a suddenly far less intimidating lineup.

The mostly costly loss was the departure of freshman Martin Maierhofer, who returned to his native Germany on Oct. 1. Maierhofer, an accomplished player on the European circuit, had been expected to play in the No. 2 position for the Tigers this season.

According to head coach Bob Callahan, Maierhofer had struggled to adjust to Princeton. After spending the past two years serving in the German military, he apparently felt uncomfortable in the different environment. Making matters worse, Maierhofer's grandfather, with whom he is very close, is extremely sick.

"He just felt he needed to be at home in Germany at this time," Callahan said.

Callahan said that while he hopes Maierhofer will eventually return to Princeton, it's still unclear if that will be the case.

Last year's No. 2 player, sophomore Vincent Yu, will also be absent from the Tiger lineup, at least at the beginning of the season. Yu is currently receiving treatment for an undisclosed medical ailment.

Citing privacy, Callahan declined to specify the exact nature of the problem, only saying that it was unrelated to squash. During the recovery process, however, Yu is not allowed any exercise.

Yu is still enrolled at school and could return to the team as soon as January, if his recovery proceeds as expected.

Two players, Nate Beck '06 and Dent Wilkens '06, are currently taking time off and will not play for the Tigers at all this year. Although both made their decisions for academic-related reasons, Callahan and other sources close to the players were quick to note that the decisions were completely voluntary.

Beck is spending the year in Holland, where he grew up, taking a few courses. According to Callahan, he switched majors at the beginning of his junior year, and chose to take a year to catch up on requirements, rather than taking a heavy courseload at Princeton. Beck played No. 4 for the Tigers last season.

Wilkens, meanwhile, left school during the spring semester last year. Friends say he will be returning this spring to finish his junior year, though he is not expected to rejoin the squash team. Wilkens played No. 5 last season.

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Finally, junior Will Boothby, who played No. 7 last year, decided this fall to leave the team. Callahan said that Boothby wanted to take advantage of other opportunities.

"We'll miss him," Callahan said, "but we understand his motivation."

Boothby confirmed his former coach's sentiments, saying this his decision was not based on any negative feelings towards the team.

Despite the losses, the Tigers are still ranked No. 4 in the country. But with a youthful lineup that will likely feature several freshman, knocking off any of the teams ranked ahead of them — Harvard, Yale, and defending champion Trinity — will be very difficult.

"Folks will be playing in positions they didn't expect to play in," Callahan said. "It will be a challenge, but we'll see what we can do."